


The woodlands

by TheCrimsonValley



Category: Rule of Rose (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Horror, Spooky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-11-18 11:54:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18120299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCrimsonValley/pseuds/TheCrimsonValley
Summary: A bet that is so easy to make in daylight, turns into a different story when one needs to fulfill it during night time.





	The woodlands

The crackling of a leaf under her shoe rung out as sharply as the shoot of a hunters rifle. Her arms remained closely pressed towards her body, lips gently quivering with cold. There had been a thought to fumble for her jacket in the dark but the fear of Mr Hoffman hearing her had been too strong. Standing between the massive autumn trees, their bare branches reaching towards the night sky, she regretted it. 

There was, in fact, thoughts of regret rummaging through her mind. Despite lacking the heavy wordings for it, she cursed, as good as she could. Had she known how this thing would have unfolded she would never have boasted to the others. If she could have had a peek at her own miserable self stumbling about in the dark, knees quivering like that of a newborn calf, she would have fought with claws and teeth to not take Diana up on her dare. 

“But you did not” she muttered to herself “and now here you are!” 

The echo of her own voice bouncing between the trees made shivers run down her spine. Many times during daylight hours she had played here with the others, the golden sun dancing between the branches, the leafs rustling sounding so comforting. Now there was nothing but darkness and heavy fog licking the sides of the tree trunks, the pale moonlight mercifully lighting parts of the path. 

Taking a few more steps, she tried to still her mind. The shadows kept moving about around her yet she knew she couldn't come back just yet. 10 minutes in the woods. Child's play. It had been so easy to say during daytime but now she cursed how slowly the minutes seemed to flow. How could only 6 of them have passed. 

Reaching her fingers up towards her lips, she blew some warm air onto them, though her breath quickly got stuck in her throat. The snapping of a branch could be heard, right in front of her. Still meters away yet her feet became frozen to the path, staring intensely into the shadows. 

Straydog. No, he was nothing but make belief. That's what she kept telling herself. Children's tales and nonsense. Like witches in gingerbread houses or wicked fairies cursing infants. She knew he wasn't real, she was out here to prove he wasn't out there to chase them down at any second. 

A second branch snapping caused her to give out a gasp. Taking a step backwards, she soon toppled over some of the massive roots that had been hidden under the carpet of leafs. By now the shadows seemed to move, changing in size and shape, growing taller and more threatening for every time she blinked. 

“Y... you're... not real...”

Her voice didn't sound like her own, instead coming out as a pathetic whining rather than a proud battle cry. The air seemed to become still for seconds, feeling like hours. Inside of her throat she could feel a great lump yet she did not dare to breath. 

A growl and a third snapping branch, just a meter away finally got her muscles working. Heaving up a pitiful whining, she rose to her feet, stumbling along the path that had lead her all the way out here. Far behind she thought she could hear paws, no she was certain that it was paws, chasing her down. 

He eats naughty children, he eats those that does not obey, he kidnaps children and they are never heard from again. The lines flashed through her mind, like a forgotten gospel that had just returned in full force. Her eyes started to sting with tears, the only words flowing over her lips being “please no”. 

By the time she could see the outline of the orphanage again, her side was aching and her legs felt like giving in yet she persisted. She had not dared to throw a glance over her shoulder, still hearing how something massive was moving after her at a speed much quicker than she could keep up. 

With full force she threw herself onto the small back gate door, tumbling inside and hitting the ground. With the last of her strength, she managed to get back up, slamming the gate close and putting the latch back on. 

She awaited her peruser to collide with the flimsy looking door, to break it down and tear her to pieces. Yet when it did not happen, she allowed herself to sink to her knees, taking heaving breaths and fighting back the tears that hung heavy in her eyelashes. Her heart was beating so rapidly, she half expected it to burst out of her chest at any minute or simply give in like that of a rabbit during the hunt. 

A few long minutes passed before she could muster up the strength to get up onto her feet once more. While starting to move towards the kitchen entrance, she threw a glance over her shoulder. And though she tried her best to ignore it, she could not shake the feeling of having seen a massive shadow peaking over the wall, its eyes gleaming in the moonlight.


End file.
